The Impact of Covid-19 on Households and Firms in the MENA Region
FromMay 23, 2022 To May 24, 2022
Online Webinar
During one of the most turbulent beginnings to a decade in recent history, we have observed the spread of a global pandemic with unprecedented social and economic consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the MENA region, and while the region still accounts for relatively fewer cases, the numbers are rising. As countries strive to contain the virus, the economic repercussions and impact keep growing, leaving millions of workers vulnerable to income loss and layoffs.
The impact on income generating activities is especially harsh for unprotected workers and the most vulnerable groups in the informal economy, which constitutes a considerable share of economic activity and employment in MENA. Moreover, women are among the most affected groups, as women are over-represented in more affected sectors (such as education) or in occupations that are at the frontline in dealing with the pandemic (e.g., nurses) and will bear a disproportionate burden in the care economy, with the closure of schools and care systems.
Against this background, ERF has developed the COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey, which is a wide-ranging, nationally representative panel survey. This series of bi-monthly short panel phone surveys, including multiple waves of interviews with the same respondents, allows for an accurate assessment of changes over time in this rapidly developing crisis. The range of questions monitor the effect of the crisis on households, workers as well as micro and small enterprises, and the ways in which households and enterprises are coping with the pandemic. The purpose of this panel survey is to provide data for researchers and policy makers on the socio-economic and labor market impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The ERF COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey covers a number of Arab countries in the MENA region including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, and Sudan.
This project was made possible by the generous contributions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of the United Kingdom (formerly known as DFID), the World Bank and the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFESD).
Furthermore, the ERF and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) set up a Research Partnership Collaboration to strengthen scientific knowledge and evidence-based dialogue for understanding the short-term consequences of the social and economic crisis generated by the pandemic. The aim of the collaboration was to provide a platform to answer some pressing questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives and firms’ behaviors and shed light on the coping mechanisms that have been taken to help them in these tough times. This project was led by Ragui Assaad (University of Minnesota and ERF), Caroline Krafft (St. Catherine University), and Mohamed Ali Marouani (Université Paris1-Panthéon-Sorbonne and ERF).
Under this collaboration, a call for proposals was launched on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Households and Firms in the MENA Region,” with a view to understand the consequences of the social and economic crisis generated by the pandemic. ERF received 53 proposals, and the review process led to the acceptance of six proposals, which were developed into six papers, and six policy briefs. Moreover, four policy briefs were developed by the project’s PIs, summarizing key findings and policy issues facing households, workers, farmers, household enterprises, caregivers and firms. The aim of the two-day webinar is to present the policy recommendations and the main findings of the project.
Related papers and policy briefs:
- Vladimir Hlasny and Shireen Alazzawi
- Zouheir El-Sahli and Mouyad Alsamara
- Amira El-Shal, Eman Moustafa, Nada Rostom and Yasmine Abdelfattah
- Lahna Idres and Moundir Lassassi
- Anna Spinardi, Nigora Isamiddinova, Irene Clavijo and Kevin Henkens
Find out more on the project through the AFD website: https://www.afd.fr/en/carte-des-projets/impact-covid-19-households-and-firms-mena-region
Agenda
Session 1
Date
23/05/2022
Location
Online Webinar
Time
From 3:00 pm To 4:00 pm
Speakers
Research Fellows
Ibrahim Elbadawi
Managing Director, Economic Research Forum
Speakers
Hélène Djoufelkit
Director, Economic Diagnostics and Public Policy Department,...
Research Fellows
Hassan Aly
Dean, Business School, Nile University
Research Fellows
Ragui Assaad
Professor of Planning and Public Affairs, University...
Authors
Caroline Krafft
Associate Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs,...
Research Fellows
Mohamed Ali Marouani
Associate Professor, Université Paris1-Panthéon-Sorbonne
Policy Affiliates
Khalid Abu-Ismail
Senior Economist, United Nations Economic and Social...
Session 2
Date
23/05/2022
Location
Online Webinar
Time
From 4:00 pm To 5:00 pm
Speakers
Research Fellows
Hala Abou-Ali
Professor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and...
Research Fellows
Shireen AlAzzawi
Teaching Professor, Economics Department, Leavey School of...
Authors
Vladimir Hlasny
Economic Affairs Officer, UN Economic and Social...
Research Associates
Amira El-Shal
Acting Associate Director of Research, J-PAL MENA
Research Associates
Eman Moustafa
Research Manager, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)
Authors
Nada Rostom
Research Associate, J-PAL Middle East and North...
Authors
Yasmine Abdelfattah
Assistant Professor of Statistics, School of Business...
Research Fellows
Racha Ramadan
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics and Political...
Agenda
Session 3
Date
24/05/2022
Location
Online Webinar
Time
From 3:00 pm To 4:00 pm
Speakers
Research Fellows
Mona Said
Professor of Economics, Economics Department, The American...
Speakers
Zouheir El-Sahli
Academic and Researcher, Qatar University
Research Fellows
Mouyad Alsamara
Associate Professor of Economics, College of Business...
Authors
Samia Satti Osman Mohamed Nour
Full Professor of Economics, Department of Economics,...
Research Fellows
Rim Mouelhi
Full Professor, Institut Supérieur de Comptabilité et...
Session 4
Date
24/05/2022
Location
Online Webinar
Time
From 4:00 pm To 5:00 pm
Speakers
Research Fellows
Taieb Hafsi
Strategy and Society Chair Professor, HEC Montreal
Research Fellows
Moundir Lassassi
Research Director, Research Centre in Applied Economics...
Speakers
Lahna Idres
Permanent Researcher, Research Center in Applied Economics...
Speakers
Nigora Isamiddinova
Project Manager and Researcher at DPA
Speakers
Anna Spinardi
Project Manager, DPA
Authors
Caroline Krafft
Associate Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs,...
Closing Remarks 5: Lessons learned from the Crisis: How can we do better
Speakers
Research Fellows
Mahmoud Haddad
Professor, The University of Tennessee at Martin,...
Speakers
Cecilia Poggi
Labor Economist and Research Officer, Research Department,...
Research Fellows
Ragui Assaad
Professor of Planning and Public Affairs, University...
Research Fellows
Mohamed Ali Marouani
Associate Professor, Université Paris1-Panthéon-Sorbonne